SpiritualFamily.Net

Answers for 10 Questions 8-5-2022 for this Week discussion

1. Why is there suffering in the world?
2. Will there ever be a cure for all diseases?
3. Why is there evil in the world?
4. Will there ever be lasting world peace?
5. Will man ever love his fellow men?
6. When will the world end?
7. What does the future hold for me & my family?
8. Is there life after death?
9. What is Heaven like?
10. How can I be a better person

1. Why is there suffering in the world?

1. We are imperfect beings living on an imperfect world. I recently read in the UB that God could have made us and the world perfect, but he didn't. Why not? My understanding from the UB is that dealing with suffering grows our character and helps us grow spiritually. God is creating beings (us) that could only be created by having experience. Experience must be lived; it can't be created. When we have finally made it to Paradise to meet God, we will be called finaliters. Because we have endured and survived suffering, we are becoming beings with abilities that a being made perfect couldn't have. We live in an evolutionary universe, and we are evolving along with the universe.
2. Will there ever be a cure for all diseases?
2. Yes, I think in the far ages on this world there will be a cure for all diseases. Look at how many have already been conquered with medicine and surgery. The sad thing is so any of these new cures are not available for so many in poor countries. But one day, when we have a one world government and the world is really unified, there will be equality among all people, and all will try to follow Jesus' teachings. Then science and medicine will have almost conquered disease.
3. Why is there evil in the world?
3. Because we are imperfect beings with free will, we sometimes make bad choices. Sometimes we do this out of ignorance, but other times out of greed, or anger, or lust, or other human faults. And our world is far behind where it should be. The person who was our planetary prince went against Christ Michael and later, Adam and Eve defaulted on their task here. These defaults retarded the progress we should have made by this time. Christ Michael is the Creator Son of our local universe. He is described in one of the papers of the UB.
4. Will there ever be lasting world peace?
4. Yes, in the distant future, we will have a one world government where all countries have equal rights, but the world government will have the power to prevent wars between countries. It will be somewhat like the United States. No state could ever go to war against another since our Civil War was ended. Our federal government would stop any such war.

5. Will man ever love his fellow men?
5. Jesus said we should love our neighbors as ourselves. As time goes on, and more people follow Jesus, and try to understand each other, I believe that we will begin to love more and more people.
6. When will the world end?
6. Astronomers say that our sun will run out of hydrogen fuel in about 6 billion years. Then, the sun will turn into a red giant and probably cook our earth. Christians throughout the ages have believed that the end is soon, based on the Bible. There are still churches and preachers who talk about the End Times. They can create fear in the simple minded people, control them and get more money from them. The UB does not support the End Times idea.
7. What does the future hold for me & my family?
7. Is this question about this life, or the next life? If it’s about the next life, see no. 8. As far as this life is concerned, only God knows.
8. Is there life after death?
8. Both the Bible and the Urantia Book tell us something about the next life. The UB says that those who do no reject God will go on to the mansion worlds. Those from our families who have accepted God will be there and we will be able to meet with them often. And later, you’ll be able to greet those of your family and friends who die after you.
9. What is Heaven like?
9. Heaven isn’t just one place; it’s many places. The Apostle Paul said he knew someone who was caught up into the third heaven; other religions say there are seven heavens. According to the Urantia Book, our first destination after we die is then first mansion world; there are a total of seven of these mansion worlds. Jesus spoke of these when he said that in his Father’s house are many mansions. As described in the Bible, the Apostles John and Paul had visions of these worlds.
Paper 47 of the Urantia Book describes life on the seven mansion worlds. When we awaken on the first mansion world, we will have a new body and new mind, but the same personality; we will remember who we were and still are. We will start on the first mansion world where we left off when we left this life. We will continue our spiritual, social, and intellectual growth there, but we will have the assistance of wonderful teachers, many of whom are angels. We are still more material than spiritual there. We will eat morontia vegetables, and sleep to refresh ourselves. We will live in beautiful homes and be able to travel to see the wonders of the seven mansion worlds in our spare time.
There are any other levels to ascend after we finish our education on the seven mansion worlds and graduate to the next level. When we have ascended through all the levels, we will be fully spiritual beings and we’ll achieve Paradise and meet our heavenly Father.
10. How can I be a better person?
10. The easy answer is to follow Jesus, but what do I have to do to do that? This is what the Urantia Book has to say: “(196:1.3) To "follow Jesus" means to personally share his religious faith and to enter into the spirit of the Master's life of unselfish service for man. One of the most important things in human living is to find out what Jesus believed, to discover his ideals, and to strive for the achievement of his exalted life purpose. Of all human knowledge, that which is of greatest value is to know the religious life of Jesus and how he lived it.”
One time, Jesus agreed that we should love God and our neighbor as ourselves. And the parable that he gave showed that everyone is our neighbor. Another time, Jesus washed the Apostles feet to show how important it is that we serve one another. And forgiveness was important in Jesus’ ministry; he even forgave those who nailed him on the cross. And so should we forgive those who have wronged us. In paper 146, the UB says: “The Father in heaven has forgiven you even before you have thought to ask him, but such forgiveness is not available in your personal religious experience until such a time as you forgive your fellow men.”
And we can grow spiritually through unselfish prayer to God and sincere worship of his loving nature. And as we grow spiritually, it will be easier to love difficult people and we will more often wish to serve our fellow human beings.

Question to new readers: What appeals to you most in the Urantia Revelation?

Wednesday, April 27, 2022

111:7.1 (1223.3) Uncertainty with security is the essence of the Paradise adventure—uncertainty in time and in mind, uncertainty as to the events of the unfolding Paradise ascent; security in spirit and in eternity, security in the unqualified trust of the creature son in the divine compassion and infinite love of the Universal Father; uncertainty as an inexperienced citizen of the universe; security as an ascending son in the universe mansions of an all-powerful, all-wise, and all-loving Father.

Have you experienced this paradoxical combination of uncertainty and security? What’s it been like for you, and how have you learned to manage it?

111:7.4 (1223.6) The higher human races of Urantia are complexly admixed; they are a blend of many races and stocks of different origin. This composite nature renders it exceedingly difficult for the Monitors to work efficiently during life and adds definitely to the problems of both the Adjuster and the guardian seraphim after death.

Why would this affect us in the afterlife? And for how long in the next stages of our journey? What of our “racial” antecedents persist in the morontia life?

112:0.1 (1225.1) THE evolutionary planets are the spheres of human origin, the initial worlds of the ascending mortal career. Urantia is your starting point; here you and your divine Thought Adjuster are joined in temporary union. You have been endowed with a perfect guide; therefore, if you will sincerely run the race of time and gain the final goal of faith, the reward of the ages shall be yours; you will be eternally united with your indwelling Adjuster. Then will begin your real life, the ascending life, to which your present mortal state is but the vestibule.

Then will begin your exalted and progressive mission as finaliters in the eternity which stretches out before you. And throughout all of these successive ages and stages of evolutionary growth, there is one part of you that remains absolutely unaltered, and that is personality—permanence in the presence of change.

Wow! This Solitary Messenger sure knows how to start off the “Personality Survival” paper with a bang!

Michael, therefore, had a double purpose in the making of these seven bestowals upon
the various orders of his universe creatures: First, he was completing the required
experience in creature understanding which is demanded of all Creator Sons before they
assume complete sovereignty. At any time a Creator Son may rule his universe in his own
right, but he can rule as the supreme representative of the Paradise Trinity only after
passing through the seven universe-creature bestowals. Second, he was aspiring to the
privilege of representing the maximum authority of the Paradise Trinity which can be
exercised in the direct and personal administration of a local universe. Accordingly, did
Michael, during the experience of each of his universe bestowals, successfully and acceptably voluntarily subordinate himself to the variously constituted wills of the diverse
associations of the persons of the Paradise Trinity. That is, on the first bestowal he was
subject to the combined will of the Father, Son, and Spirit; on the second bestowal to the
will of the Father and the Son; on the third bestowal to the will of the Father and the
Spirit; on the fourth bestowal to the will of the Son and the Spirit; on the fifth bestowal
to the will of the Infinite Spirit; on the sixth bestowal to the will of the Eternal Son; and
during the seventh and final bestowal, on Urantia, to the will of the Universal Father.
Michael, therefore, combines in his personal sovereignty the divine will of the sevenfold
phases of the universal Creators with the understanding experience of his local universe
creatures. Thus has his administration become representative of the greatest possible power
and authority although divested of all arbitrary assumptions. His power is unlimited since
it is derived from experienced association with the Paradise Deities; his authority is
unquestioned inasmuch as it was acquired through actual experience in the likeness of
universe creatures; his sovereignty is supreme since it embodies at one and the same time
the sevenfold viewpoint of Paradise Deity with the creature viewpoint of time and space

Michael, therefore, had a double purpose in the making of these seven bestowals upon
the various orders of his universe creatures: First, he was completing the required
experience in creature understanding which is demanded of all Creator Sons before they
assume complete sovereignty. At any time a Creator Son may rule his universe in his own
right, but he can rule as the supreme representative of the Paradise Trinity only after
passing through the seven universe-creature bestowals. Second, he was aspiring to the
privilege of representing the maximum authority of the Paradise Trinity which can be
exercised in the direct and personal administration of a local universe. Accordingly, did
Michael, during the experience of each of his universe bestowals, successfully and acceptably voluntarily subordinate himself to the variously constituted wills of the diverse
associations of the persons of the Paradise Trinity. That is, on the first bestowal he was
subject to the combined will of the Father, Son, and Spirit; on the second bestowal to the
will of the Father and the Son; on the third bestowal to the will of the Father and the
Spirit; on the fourth bestowal to the will of the Son and the Spirit; on the fifth bestowal
to the will of the Infinite Spirit; on the sixth bestowal to the will of the Eternal Son; and
during the seventh and final bestowal, on Urantia, to the will of the Universal Father.
Michael, therefore, combines in his personal sovereignty the divine will of the sevenfold
phases of the universal Creators with the understanding experience of his local universe
creatures. Thus has his administration become representative of the greatest possible power
and authority although divested of all arbitrary assumptions. His power is unlimited since
it is derived from experienced association with the Paradise Deities; his authority is
unquestioned inasmuch as it was acquired through actual experience in the likeness of
universe creatures; his sovereignty is supreme since it embodies at one and the same time
the sevenfold viewpoint of Paradise Deity with the creature viewpoint of time and space

TRUTH
Today's UB study 26.April.2022
Is the love of truth and the willingness to go wherever it leads, desirable? If so, that is
why we must begin our existence in a world where error is present and always possible so
that we can learn to distinguish between truth and error.
Truth is relative and expanding; it always lives in the present, achieving new expression
in each generation -- even in each human life. Factualized truth, fossilized truth, the iron
band of so-called unchanging truth, holds people blindly in a closed circle of cold fact.
One can be technically right as to fact and completely wrong in the truth.
Physical facts are fairly uniform, but truth is a living and flexible factor in the universe.
People are only partially wise and relatively true in their understandings. They can be
certain only as far as their personal experience extends. You cannot perceive spiritual
truth until you experience it.
Material science is indispensable to the intelligent discussion of the material aspects of
the universe, but such knowledge is not necessarily a part of the higher realization of
truth or of the personal appreciation of spiritual realities. Not only in the realms of life
but even in the world of physical energy, the sum of two or more things is very often
something more than, or something different from, the predictable additive consequences
of such unions. The entire science of mathematics, the whole domain of philosophy, the
highest physics or chemistry, could not predict that the union of two gaseous hydrogen
atoms with one gaseous oxygen atom would result in a new and qualitatively different
substance -- liquid water. The knowledge of this one phenomenon should have prevented
the development of a purely materialistic philosophy and mechanistic cosmology.
Concerning the accumulated writings which various religionists hold as sacred books, it
is often not only believed that what is in the book is true, but also that every truth is
contained in the book. If one of these sacred books happens to speak of the earth as being
flat, then, for long generations, otherwise sane men and women will refuse to accept
positive evidence that the planet is round.